Be inspired by this multicultural fusion wedding (with a fire engine!)

The Offbeat Bride: Hina

Her offbeat partner: John, software engineer

Date and location of wedding: John's childhood home in Yorkshire, UK — July 18, 2015

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

The theme to our multicultural fusion wedding was that it was personal, friendly, inclusive, and informal. We kept only the parts of weddings we enjoyed (copious amounts of food, music, drink, and dancing!) and cut out the rest. We got married in the garden of John's childhood home, a beautiful period farmhouse in the depths of the Yorkshire countryside.

The central theme for the wedding was my father-in-law's stunning vintage fire engine (and the fire station he built for it). Having the wedding at home meant we could have it exactly the way we wanted without being restricted by the venue. The décor was all homemade and the venue was dressed over two days by a dedicated wedding team (my fabulous friends and family). I wrapped over 200 jars and tin cans in lace, washi tape, and hessian. These were filled with locally grown seasonal flowers and tea lights and spread all throughout the garden and marquee. To this we added metres and metres of fabric and paper doily bunting and fairy lights.

In order to remember our time in Mexico (we lived there for five years) we decorated the marquee with papel picado bunting that John had carried all the back home to the UK. My father used his considerable woodworking skills to fashion wooden signs that directed guests to different areas of the wedding. Wooden and burnished metal hearts decorated fence posts and hedges. Finally, we hung 150 paper lanterns in the hedge which looked beautiful when lit up at night.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We were legally married earlier in the year but wanted a blessing ceremony that was personal and meaningful in front of our friends and family. My best friend officiated our blessing ceremony wearing a tricorn with a feather and carrying a staff decorated with ribbon and small bells.

One of my closest friends did a beautiful Bob Marley reading, John’s sister read an Auden poem, and my brother made a lovely speech. We wrote our own vows except John got stage fright and ended up just telling me he loved me and giving me a big hug. The funniest moment was definitely when the family Labrador had decided that he didn’t enjoy being ignored so he came into the centre of the ceremony space and started chasing his own tail halfway through our vows.

Tell us about your reception:

The food was the biggest expense for us as we wanted it to be exceptional. We decided to skip the traditional wedding breakfast and concentrate on have oodles of the food we love the most. Straight after the ceremony, we served huge cheese and meat platters with a selection of my mum’s homemade chutney. This was all washed down with pink champagne, homemade orange and elderflower wheat beer, or homemade elderflower cordial. The main course was a lamb roast.

The wonderful Ribble Valley Hog Roast supplied as with one whole roast tandoori lamb, eight tandoori roast chickens, and a vegetable curry cooked fresh in a party paella pan. This was accompanied with naans, chutney, raita, pilau rice, and a variety of salads. Not one single plate was left unfinished and there were no leftovers at all.

Dessert was a wedding bake-off. We had about 15 cakes that were brought by wedding guests and after the main meal was cleared (very quickly as we were using bamboo plates and cutlery), the grand tasting ensued. The winner was given a beautiful plaque handmade by my father, and again, not a crumb was left. Our evening buffet was a selection of handmade pies from Starkey’s, the local butcher. I didn’t even get a chance to taste one as they were so popular.

As we had such an international wedding party, we needed a band that could play everything from ceilidh music through salsa to the latest opo hits. North East Soiree kept us dancing the night away!

What was your most important lesson learned?

The planning in itself was a bit difficult. I was living in Istanbul, John was still in Mexico, my family comes from Scotland, but the wedding was to be held in England. A lot of Googling and Skyping allowed us to find vendors online which we then met on a quick trip back to the UK. After that, we didn't see them again until the big day. We were terribly lucky that every single one of our suppliers was magnificent and didn't let us down at all.

Vendors

• Photography: Ryan Forster
• Brides Gown: Chaand Bazaar
• Jewellery: Zina Fine Jewelry
• Shoes: Campana Fitas
• Headpiece: Bridal Devine
• Florist: Flowers From the Farm
• Venue: Churchill Marquees
• Caterer: Hog Roast Lancashire
• Wedding Planner: Event-u-ally
• Stationery: Zode 64
• Entertainment: North East Soiree
• Videographer: Singularity Film

Gallery

This slideshow requires JavaScript.